Behind the Lens #1 ~ Ousel Falls | Waterfall Art

Hi friends and welcome to my new photography blog series called Behind the Lens. From time to time, I hope to provide you all with a fine art photo that I've taken though-out the years and give a little more explanation behind the shot. I thought this would be a good filler in between some of my longer blog on life posts. So without further ado, let's jump right into it. 

Ten minutes from where I reside, Ousel falls splashes down. It took me a little over a year to go there and finally visit. She roared in anger, as recent rainfall and melting snowpack took hold of the Gallatin River. I watched over the previous days, as the Gallatin rose to near record heights. Little did I know that just about 2 hours to the southeast, the Yellowstone River was also rising to an unprecedented level.

Back in January, I had the pleasure of staying for a night in Gardiner, Montana which sits at the North entrance of Yellowstone National Park. En route to the busy summer town you pass through Paradise Valley which winds its way along the Yellowstone River. Mother Nature would once again flex her arms and remind everyone she’s a force to be reckoned with. Reading the local news reports, I had flashbacks to Hurricane Sandy and how it ripped a part sections of the Jersey Shore. Sections of the road I had traveled on only 5 months ago were swallowed up and washed away. The landscaped forever changed.

As the mist rained down upon me from Ousel Falls, I took a deep inhale and breathed. I smiled and was reminded that everything is, as everything should be. Right here in this moment, was all that I had.

For more inspirational tales, thoughts and photography visit me on instagram: @ryan.j.drewes